Field of Invention
The present invention relates to workstations within which liquid, such as liquid leaking from containers, can be retained.
Description of Related Art
Liquid containers such as steel drums, plastic drums, and the like are frequently used in industrial settings. Such containers can contain liquid materials that should not be placed into sewage or drain systems, or be allowed to reach the soil. Thus, regulations have been adopted to contain liquids from drums in the event of a leak or catastrophic failure of the drum.
One method of reducing the likelihood that liquids will reach drains or otherwise contaminate a work area, includes placing the drums in a workstation (also known in the art as a low profile a spill pallet, a drum deck, etc.), which can collect a substantial volume of liquid material that may leak from the container.
Conventional workstations generally constitute independent structures, which are not fluidly linked together and thus define a predetermined volume for containing such liquids. Thus, there is no way to expand their capacity for containing liquids except, for example, if one were to somehow connect two units together using a hose extending between the two units as is known in the art. This conventional process of connecting two units using a hose is relatively complicated and requires that a hole be formed in a wall of each of the units, and requires connecting componentry, such as the hose to transport the liquid from one unit to another, and gaskets, damps, and the like for fluidly sealing the connection and the holes in the was of the units. This connecting componentry is auxiliary to the unit itself and thus represents an additional cost for a consumer. Furthermore, this connection type between two units is fairly cumbersome to arrange and does not prohibit movement of the two workstations relative to each other, which may be desired in certain circumstances. The hole in the side wall of the units that is necessary for fluidly connecting one unit to another must be plugged with further additional componentry when not fluidly connected to another unit, thus requiring additional parts and increasing cost of the unit.
Another complication is realized when multiple conventional workstations are not in use and are stacked one on top of another for storage or transportation. In this situation, the stacked units take up a relatively large amount of vertical space that is commensurate to the combined heights of the walls of the units, thus further increasing cost of transportation or storage.